Touch sensor assembly and door including the same

• US 10,006,625 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2015
• Issued: 06/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Minchel, Park, Jinseung
• Primary Examiner(s): Ellis, Suezu
• Application Number:
  US14/977,623
• Publication Number:
  US 20160186985A1
• Time in Patent Office: 918 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 33/0044 Household appliances, e.g. washing machines or vacuum cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2400/361 Interactive visual displays
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 29/005 Mounting of control devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 13/22 electroluminescent electroluminescent light sources per se H05B33/00
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 2013/222 with LEDs
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 3/208 Electronic labels, Labels integrating electronic displays
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/962 Capacitive touch switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/960755 Constructional details of capacitive touch and proximity switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/960785 with illumination

Abstract

A household appliance according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a front panel forming an exterior, a display window formed with a plurality of through holes having minute or fine sizes formed at the front panel, and the plurality of through holes are filled with a coating liquid including an anti-foaming agent.

Claims

1. A household appliance comprising:

a front panel forming an exterior of the household appliance and formed of a metal material;

a display window area which includes a plurality of through holes to display information;

a display assembly provided at a rear of the front panel corresponding to the display window area and includes a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) which emit light toward the plurality of through holes;

a coating layer to fill the plurality of through holes, the coating layer having an anti-foaming agent and provided on a rear surface the front panel corresponding to the display window area;

a first black layer printed on a surface of the coating layer except the plurality of through holes; and

a display cover pressed against the first black layer,

wherein the display cover includes;

a through hole formed at a position corresponding to the plurality of through holes, through which light emitted toward the plurality of through holes passes; and

a second black layer which is printed on a front surface of the display cover.

2. The household appliance of claim 1, wherein the display window area includes eighty eight segments form formed by a group of the plurality of through holes.

3. The household appliance of claim 1, wherein the display window area includes at least one of a text, a drawing, or a symbol formed by a group of the plurality of through holes.

4. The household appliance of claim 1, wherein a part of a coating liquid forming the coating layer fills the plurality of through holes.

5. The household appliance of claim 1, wherein the anti-foaming agent is included in an entire coating liquid forming the hole filling coating layer at 0.5 to 1.5 wt %.

6. The household appliance of claim 1, wherein a thickness of the hole filling coating layer is in a range of 35 to 55 μ

m.

7. The household appliance of claim 1, further comprising an anti-fingerprint coating layer provided onto a front surface of the front panel.

8. The household appliance of claim 1, wherein the coating layer has a prescribed transparency such that a brightness of light transmitted through the plurality of through holes is at least 40 nit.

9. The household appliance of claim 1, further comprising:

a touch sensor assembly mounted on the display cover; and

a display frame which slides and is inserted into a rear surface of the display cover in a state in which the display assembly is mounted.

10. The household appliance of claim 1, a diameter of a front end of each of the plurality of first through holes is less than a diameter of a rear end thereof.

11. A method of manufacturing a household appliance, comprising:

forming on an exterior panel of a household appliance a plurality of through holes to form a display window area;

screen printing an urethane coating liquid which includes an anti-foaming agent on a rear surface of the exterior panel to form a coating layer filling the plurality of through holes;

contouring the exterior panel to a prescribed shape base on a shape of the household appliance;

mounting a display cover on the rear surface of the contoured exterior panel at a location corresponding to the display window area;

forming a first black colored layer on a surface of the coating layer except the plurality of through holes, and

forming a second black colored layer on a front surface of the display cover, wherein when the display cover is mounted on a rear surface of the front panel, the second black colored layer is in contact with the first black colored layer.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

mounting a display assembly on a display frame; and

coupling the display frame to a rear surface of the display cover.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the display window area includes at least one of a text, a drawing, or a symbol formed by a group of the plurality of through holes.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the anti-foaming agent is included in the urethane coating liquid at 0.5 to 1.5 wt %.